Policy Press
Chapter 5 Equality, Employment, and State Social Policies: a gendered perspective
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Ann Shola Orloff
Abstract
Gender relations, including cultural and ideological preferences about the inevitability, naturalness and rightness of gender difference, have shaped systems of social provision since their origins in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, through periods of expansion and consolidation in the 1940s through 1960s, and into the present period of restructuring of social provision across the world. In the decades since World War 11, some features of gender relations have undergone significant transformations in the direction of equality - notably, in the political sphere, the extension of suffrage, the elimination of patriarchal elements in family law and the ending of de jure discrimination in most countries, and, in the sphere of work and labour, the increasing employment of women. However, there remain important gender differences, most significantly in the gender division of labor, in which women do the majority of caregiving and domestic work. These patterns are linked with continuing problems of women’s economic vulnerability or inequality and, where not ameliorated by state benefits, the disproportionate poverty of single mothers and elderly widows. This also means that most women workers face problems of reconciling employment and family life; but to the extent that employment and social security systems remain geared to a model of worker with no caring responsibilities, any employee - man or woman – who wants to be involved in caregiving will face difficulties.
Social changes in gender relations have stimulated, and been stimulated by, political changes in the direction of greater gender equality. As women’s equality projects gained power within old and new political organizations in the 1960s and 1970s, a range of reforms across many countries attempted to move toward greater gender equality.
Abstract
Gender relations, including cultural and ideological preferences about the inevitability, naturalness and rightness of gender difference, have shaped systems of social provision since their origins in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, through periods of expansion and consolidation in the 1940s through 1960s, and into the present period of restructuring of social provision across the world. In the decades since World War 11, some features of gender relations have undergone significant transformations in the direction of equality - notably, in the political sphere, the extension of suffrage, the elimination of patriarchal elements in family law and the ending of de jure discrimination in most countries, and, in the sphere of work and labour, the increasing employment of women. However, there remain important gender differences, most significantly in the gender division of labor, in which women do the majority of caregiving and domestic work. These patterns are linked with continuing problems of women’s economic vulnerability or inequality and, where not ameliorated by state benefits, the disproportionate poverty of single mothers and elderly widows. This also means that most women workers face problems of reconciling employment and family life; but to the extent that employment and social security systems remain geared to a model of worker with no caring responsibilities, any employee - man or woman – who wants to be involved in caregiving will face difficulties.
Social changes in gender relations have stimulated, and been stimulated by, political changes in the direction of greater gender equality. As women’s equality projects gained power within old and new political organizations in the 1960s and 1970s, a range of reforms across many countries attempted to move toward greater gender equality.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- List of Figures ix
- List of Tables x
- Notes on the Contributors xi
- Social Security in the New Millennium 1
-
Debates
- Rising Tides and Rusty Boats: Economic position of the poor in 1985-1995 15
- Popular Support for Social Security. A sociological perspective’ 33
- Non-Discriminating Social Policy? Policy scenarios for meeting needs without categorisation 53
- Equality, Employment, and State Social Policies: a gendered perspective 69
- Europeanisation and Decentralisation of Welfare ‘Safety Nets’ 88
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Reforms
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Reforms in Theoretical Perspective
- Beyond Retrenchment: four problems in current welfare state research and one suggestion how to overcome them 105
- Change without Challenge? Welfare states, social construction of challenge and dynamics of path dependency 121
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Reforming Pension Systems
- Public Expenditure and Population Ageing: why families of nations are different 141
- Ageing and Public Pension Reforms in Western Europe and North America: patterns and politics 157
- The Redistributional Impact of a World Bank ‘Pension Regime’ 179
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Activation Reforms
- Activating Welfare States. How social policies can promote employment 197
- Welfare to Work and the Organisation of Opportunity: European and American approaches from a British perspective 211
- Activating the Unemployed: the street-level implementation of UK policy 235
- Bibliography 251
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- List of Figures ix
- List of Tables x
- Notes on the Contributors xi
- Social Security in the New Millennium 1
-
Debates
- Rising Tides and Rusty Boats: Economic position of the poor in 1985-1995 15
- Popular Support for Social Security. A sociological perspective’ 33
- Non-Discriminating Social Policy? Policy scenarios for meeting needs without categorisation 53
- Equality, Employment, and State Social Policies: a gendered perspective 69
- Europeanisation and Decentralisation of Welfare ‘Safety Nets’ 88
-
Reforms
-
Reforms in Theoretical Perspective
- Beyond Retrenchment: four problems in current welfare state research and one suggestion how to overcome them 105
- Change without Challenge? Welfare states, social construction of challenge and dynamics of path dependency 121
-
Reforming Pension Systems
- Public Expenditure and Population Ageing: why families of nations are different 141
- Ageing and Public Pension Reforms in Western Europe and North America: patterns and politics 157
- The Redistributional Impact of a World Bank ‘Pension Regime’ 179
-
Activation Reforms
- Activating Welfare States. How social policies can promote employment 197
- Welfare to Work and the Organisation of Opportunity: European and American approaches from a British perspective 211
- Activating the Unemployed: the street-level implementation of UK policy 235
- Bibliography 251
